The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for managing analytical tests and, in particular, to a system and method for managing analytical tests for managing complex combinations of analytical tests.
In certain circumstances, medically important information does not come from a single test, but rather, it is a combination of tests that yields the result needed by a health care professional to make a treatment decision for a patient. As the complexity of these combinations of tests increases, the likelihood that a mistake is made increases, particularly when the tests are ordered individually and results of differing quality are combined to provide the result on which treatment is based.
A related challenge facing providers of medical testing systems is that along with increased need to extract additional medical value from existing and new combinations of tests come increased regulatory and quality requirements. The regulatory demand placed on these providers is particularly heightened when the outcome of a complex set of tests is the basis of an impactful diagnosis, or a decision regarding the choice of drug to most effectively combat a potentially fatal disease.
Current medical testing systems, particularly when housed in a certified laboratory and staffed by highly qualified personnel, can often meet the regulatory and associated quality control demands that accompany high medical value testing. However, the same is not always true in hospital laboratories, particularly small hospital laboratories, where staffing shortages and lack of training can make it necessary for samples to be transferred to a certified laboratory. Transfer of samples can unnecessarily delay time-critical treatment decisions and often reduces the time during which valid test results can be obtained because samples can degrade over time. And, even in certified laboratories, there are pressures to increase throughput, lower personnel costs, and reduce waste and mistakes, as well as to provide a widening array of test offerings to their customers.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for managing the testing of biological samples that can help meet the demands of patients and health-care providers, now and in the future, in a reliable and controllable manner.